End of Life Care and Advance Care Planning for People with Dementia: A Pilot Simulation Course for Healthcare Professionals

Abstract Background Dementia care is a serious public health concern. Many healthcare professionals lack education in providing quality end of life (EOL) care and advance care planning (ACP) for those affected. Simulation-based education (SBE) is suggested as an educational tool to practice human factor skills through simulated clinical settings. Sample 21 healthcare professionals volunteered from an EOL pilot simulation education course. Methods : A one-day simulation course with The Human Factors Skills for Healthcare Instrument and a course-specific questionnaire completed at pre- and post-course for evaluation. Results Participants’ human factor skills, confidence, and knowledge on EOL care and ACP significantly improved after the SBE course, p Conclusion This study suggests SBE as a viable tool to improve healthcare professionals’ human factor skills and confidence in and knowledge of EOL care and ACP for dementia care. Further research should aim to investigate SBE's direct impact on clinical practice.